Don't Leave
by The Moot
Summary: GaaLee shonenai. I really like this one. I don't know why. It was inpired by something cute but it turned out beautiful. It was inspired by a picture I found on Deviant Art.


He watched the red head's back rise and fall rhythmically as he slept beside him. He seemed so beautiful at that moment. His thin body, muscles subtly defined, was only partially concealed beneath the blanket. The moon shone through a window and illuminated his soft outline. So peaceful, nothing like what he used to be, nothing like the demon of sand anymore.

Sabaku no Gaara. The very name once sent shivers down one's spine, and to look directly into his eyes would paralyze even the bravest fool in fear. He killed without remorse. The tattoo above his eye announced to the world what he was- a monster who loved only himself. To get in his way was instant death. He had insomnia caused by paranoia of the blood-lusting spirit whom possessed his body and mind. He was as unstable as a defective time bomb, a catastrophe waiting to happen.

And yet, several years ago, his world was turned upside down when he discovered that he wasn't alone in his suffering. There was another, a boy named Uzumaki Naruto, the container for the nine-tailed fox named Kyuubi. Uzumaki must have made him see that he didn't have to kill to survive. And again, when he became the Kazekage, some very powerful ninja from Suna and Konoha came together to seal the Shukaku away. His insomnia slowly got better, though so many years spent awake each night seemed to have permanently darkened his eyes.

It was a drastic change. Gaara, the demon of the sand, had become Gaara, the Kazekage, the ruler and protector of the sand. He who was once feared and shunned was now accepted and admired. Lee admired him too. So much so that he began looking for excuses to visit Suna just to see him. Gaara accepted him rather quickly, even when Lee realized that he looked to Gaara the same way he once looked to Sakura. He didn't seem to care when Lee confessed his feelings, or when he stole his first kiss. He stayed always unreadable, never allowing more than a flick of emotions past his bright bluish-green eyes. He never spoke to Lee more than what was necessary. The only way he ever showed he cared for Lee at all was through physical actions.

Lee smiled at Gaara's moonlit form, though the smile soon faded from his lips. Did he really love him? Or did he just want a partner? Gaara was almost too willing. Even if Lee tried to prompt something romantic, Gaara would always respond with the same even stare and just hugged his waist or kissed him or even bit his neck. It almost seemed as though he loved him when he started being possessive of him. He would get angry if anyone got too close to Lee or even spoke about him. However, this just made Lee feel like he was Gaara's plaything, and Gaara simply didn't want to share.

He probably needed to go back to Konoha soon anyways. He hated leaving, but it was his home and they needed him. Besides, sometimes staying hurt just as much as leaving. He sat up and placed a hand on his head. All of these thoughts on his mind, he couldn't sleep. He threw Gaara another glance before silently sliding out of bed. Before he could reach his clothes, he suddenly felt sand crawling up his legs and stopping him from going further. He turned to see Gaara fully awake and staring straight at him.

"You know, it's bad form to leave before the Kazekage says you're dismissed."

"Gaara-sama…" Lee choked down his rising emotions and continued with as even a voice as he could manage. "I'm sorry, but I really should go back to Konoha now."

"Now? In the middle of the night?"

"I… Yes. I really need to leave." The sand inched up his thighs and tightened.

"Can't you at least wait until morning?" Gaara's eyes scrunched slightly.

Lee wanted to argue, he wanted to tell him that he wanted to be loved, not played with, he wanted to swallow his grief and walk away, he wanted so much just to crawl back in bed and hold him and never let go…

He was pulled from his contradicting desires by the sand releasing him and falling to the floor. This… This was not something Gaara would do. He always got what he wanted. He would never let go until it was fully his.

"Lee-kun." Lee looked up, shocked both by what he just heard and what he saw. Gaara had his shoulders slumped forward and his head down. His half closed eyes looked down at nothing in particular and his hands were gripping the sheet tightly. He was just like a puppy with its tail between its legs. "You don't want to stay."

"No, Gaara, I-"

"Don't lie. Your eyes give it away." His knuckles began to turn white as he clenched fistfuls of the sheet.

"Gaara, I love you, but…"

"But?"

"I… I can't stay with someone who doesn't love me back!" Lee wasn't sure if a load had just been taken off his shoulders or if it just finally crushed him.

"You… think I don't love you?" Lee looked down. "Then what have I been doing all this time? What did we do tonight?" His shoulders began to shake. "Isn't that what lovers do? What did you think all of that meant?"

"Gaara, it's just… well, the way you act, I thought you…"

"What? You thought what?"

Lee sighed. "You just don't act the way you are supposed to when you're in love!"

"Then teach me." He loosened his grip on the sheets and looked up, his watery eyes shaking. "Lee, I love you. You can't leave me. Please, teach me what I can do to make you stay."

Lee suddenly found his legs moving forward on their own. He climbed onto the bed and held Gaara as though he would disappear if he let go. "I love you too, Gaara. I promise, I won't leave you. Ever."

"Thank you…" Gaara whispered in his ear. "Please, don't do that do me again. If you left me, I'd…"

"Shh. It's late. Let's go back to bed." Lee lay down with one arm around Gaara and the other pulling the blanket back over them. Gaara rested his head on Lee's chest and let his heartbeat's gentle rhythm lull him to sleep.


End file.
